Destiny's Game
by Newfi Girl
Summary: What would happen if Anna's death occurred too soon and God chose to send her back to earth to fulfill her purpose? Will she get a chance at happiness with Van Helsing, or will an unforeseen delima keep them apart for good?


_Hi everyone! I'll keep this short and sweet. I recently watched Van Helsing and enjoyed the movie, but the ending left me heart broken. I just thought it might be fun to change the ending up a bit and see where the story goes from there. I hope you all enjoy._

 **Chapter 1: An Alternate Ending**

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Anna's feet carried her through the dank corridors of Dracula's castle as fast as humanly possible. The sharp clicks of her heeled boots reverberated throughout the old stones and aged cement lining the walls. She could hear her heart beat deep within her ears and feel the harsh pumps of the organ inside of her chest.

She rounded a final corner and drew to a stop in surprise. The man whom she loved stood on the powerful back legs of a wolf, his front claws ripping away at a mound of debris in the room. Anna knew if she didn't imbed the cure within his body this instant, that wolf would be Van Helsing's eternity.

Drawing in a quick breath of courage, she willed the muscles within her legs to propel her forward. The words, "For God!" left her lips just as the wolf realized her presence and, enraged, attacked Anna's form with enough force to stop her heart. Her arms went up instinctually before the impact and the needle withholding the cure pierced the beast's abdomen as her heart stopped. She never even felt her back hit the cushioned chair on the far side of the room.

The pain was brief and minimum. Her attention was quickly averted to a white light that began as a faint calling in the distance, but grew closer with each second and eventually swallowed her whole. Anna shielded her eyes and strained to see past the light. To her relief, it dissipated rather quickly and revealed a face she had never expected to see again.

"Velkan…" Eyes wide with astonishment and her breath hitched in her throat, Anna launched herself forward and jumped into the arms of her brother. She buried her nose within the fabric of his shirt and let long-withheld tears flow freely. "I thought I would never see you again."

The tall man chuckled quietly and pulled away from her embrace only enough to see his sister's face. He lifted a hand and used his thumb to wipe away her tears. "Do not cry, Anna. This is a time to be happy. I've missed you so much."

He drew her much smaller form into his arms again and embraced her tightly, his face hidden within her thick curls.

"What happened?" The words left Anna's mouth through choked back sobs as she struggled to compose herself. She was so happy to see Velkan again, but his presence could only mean one thing – she had died.

Velkan took a step back and grasped her shoulders in his hands, giving them an empathetic squeeze. "Van Helsing's wolf hit you with enough force to stop your heart. He didn't know what he was doing, Anna."

He could see a trace of pain cross her dark orbs, but it vanished as quickly as it had come. She knew Van would have never intentionally hurt her. The pain came from knowing she would never get a chance with him. Although the monster hunter wore a rough exterior quite well, she knew he was good and pure within. She could sense it, and she had felt it within the passion behind their brief kiss.

"I know." Those were the only two words she could manage at the moment. She offered her brother a small, forced smile and, for the first time, took in her surroundings. They were on the peak of a grassy hill overlooking a city below. Large golden gates shown brightly at the entrance to the city and were cracked open to allow entrance. "Where are we?" Her tone carried hints of caution and wonder.

"Thanks to Van Helsing, Heaven." The petite brunette met her brother's eyes with astonishment. Heaven? Her family had been damned to an eternity of hell by Dracula and she had just died, so that should have sealed their fate. Unless…

"He defeated Dracula…" The words flowed out freely as a relieved sigh rather than a question. She hadn't been present to witness the battle between the two creatures, but it warmed her heart to know that good had finally overcome evil after all these centuries. Her death had truly been worth it.

"And now I get to be reunited with you." Her smiled widened as a sudden thought invaded her mind. "Our parents. Where are they?"

"In the city, sister. They are safe." His words were a breath of fresh air to her senses. She felt as though she had been holding her breath for years and could finally relish the feeling of oxygen in her lungs again.

"But Anna, there is something you need to know." Velkan's tone caused her to tense and she eyed him carefully.

"What is it, Velkan?" Her accent was thick with sudden worry.

"This isn't your time," he tried carefully. Anna felt her head tip sideways in confusion. She furrowed her brows together in annoyance, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What do you mean, it isn't my time? I'm dead, Velkan. What other time could there possibly be?" She threw her arms up in frustration. "I want to see mother and father!"

"I know, sister. I know." Velkan tried to grasp her shoulder gently again in reassurance, but she flinched away. He sighed and attempted to explain. "God sent me here to send you back. Your time on earth hasn't finished yet."

Anna scoffed in disbelief and ran a manicured hand over her face, trying to wipe away the anger she felt. "I do not understand, Velkan. Dracula is gone. I know I positioned that needle to penetrate Van's skin before he tackled me. Did it not work?" she asked quickly. "Has he been damned to that form? Is that why I am not welcome here?"

She could feel her anger being diminished by guilt. If she had not cured him, she did not deserve to be here. He had risked everything for her family.

"No, no Anna. Come here." Velkan hugged her gently and placed a kiss upon her forehead as she let out a breath of resentment. "The hunter was cured."

Anna pulled away and crossed her arms over her chest once more. "Then why can I not stay, Velkan? Why am I to be punished further?"

"It is not a punishment. God has recognized your talents. You have done nothing to upset him. Quite the opposite, actually. He was upset by your death. He had intended for you to live, had Van been strong enough to hold back the beast," he attempted to explain.

"I still don't understand," Anna responded more harshly than intended.

Velkan grabbed her arms to still her body and have her full attention. "Anna, you are a woman of grace and power. Beauty and beast. You have so much unfulfilled potential that was wasted for so long because of Dracula and his quarrel with our family. Have you ever thought why you, a woman who wears a million shields, fell for Van Helsing so easily? So hopelessly and completely?"

Anna stopped fighting his grip and stared at the taller man for a moment, wishing an answer would come to mind. Instead, she sunk through his grasp, falling into a sit on the ground. She was exhausted, and these mind games were doing her no favors. Deep down, she knew he was right. No other man had ever even dared compliment Anna in a sexual manner due to her focus on their family and her refusal to acknowledge any form of love.

"You were meant to do what he does, Anna." Her brother spoke softly as he bent his knees and crouched down to her level. "You were meant to make the world a better place. To serve God by ridding it of evil."

Anna listened to him carefully and fought to keep tears from spilling again. "I thought I was finally done fighting, Velkan. I thought I had earned peace."

He sat down beside her, draping an arm around Anna's shoulder and drawing her close. He placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Sister, if only you knew the success you will have in the future and the joy it will bring you. You will not be disappointed by the life you have yet to live. I promise you that. You have to trust me on this, alright?" He drew back and forced Anna to look him in the eyes. "You have to trust God."

Anna stayed quiet for a moment, never breaking eye contact. She stared into the depths of Velkan's brown orbs, willing answers to reveal themselves. There were none to be seen. Defeated, she shook her head and let out a deep sigh. "I trust God has my best interests at heart."

Velkan let out a relieved sigh of his own and gave his sister one last meaningful hug. He spoke into the depths of her thick curls, holding onto her scent for the remaining moments he had with her. "You will know God's signs as they come. When you awaken, there is no guarantee as to what you will and won't remember. I love you, Anna."

The princess grew panicked by his words, but had no time to respond as Velkan pierced her heart with a dagger. Death was the only way to travel between worlds. Velkan held her tight as she gasped for air and slowly faded away with each slowed heart beat. "I love you to," was all she could manage before her vision went black.

...The harsh rumble of thunder from overhead drew Anna from her forbidden slumber violently. She shot into a sitting position amidst a loud gasp, drawing in air that her lungs desperately craved. Soaked tendrils clung to her face as rain dripped down from the cracked ceiling overhead.

Anna's eyes scoured every inch of the room she was in, coming to a stop on the cushioned red chair beneath her. She slowly swung her legs over the side and moved to stand, carefully testing her balance before relying on her legs. She was alone amongst a pile of ruins, but where?

Clouded images of Dracula invaded her mind, along with flashes of battles with his brides and an army of vampire offspring. All of the images came so fast and so jumbled that she fell back onto the chair from dizziness. She placed her fingers upon her temples and willed the memories to make sense.

Dracula. A syringe. A… werewolf? She could see skipping images of a werewolf devouring the old vampire and aimlessly destroying the battle scene afterwards in rage. Her mind snapped back to the present briefly, and she instantly recognized the room she was in. Dracula's castle, only feet away from where the monster had been destroyed.

But what about the werewolf that had killed him? Anna buried her face within her palms and let out a cry of anger and frustration. Images of Velkan's smile played behind her closed eyes. Her brother… he had been bitten by a werewolf. It had to have been him that killed Dracula. There was no other explanation.

Anna snapped herself from the clouded memories and shot to her feet once more, determined to put as much distance between Dracula's castle and herself as possible. Her feet carried her with difficulty as first, but soon regained their purpose and broke into a jog. She was alone now. Truly and utterly alone. Images of Velkan as a wolf continued to plague her mind as she sped up her pace. He surely would have perished during his battle with the demon. No one could accomplish such a task and live to tell the tale.

"Enough!" Her voice somehow silenced the memories as her body was soaked with a rush of pouring rain, lighting overcoming the sky. The tears that flowed from her eyes were obscured easily as she continued to sprint, no known destination in mind. Alone. The very last of her family. There would be nothing left for her here.

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 _Please remember the leave a review! It helps me remain inspired to write if other people let me know what they think._


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